The smart phone thread

Was hoping that some DL'ers could talk about their smart phones. What you like, what you don't, etc.
I've had an iPhone for 4 years (AT&T) and am thinking of getting the iPhone 5, but if there's a great option out there I'd like to hear about it.
I'm not a fan of AT&T but not sure if the other choices are better or worse?
Does your call quality work better than data or vice versa? And where are you (sometimes that makes a difference)?

Alexander%20Fucking%20Graham%20Bell%20

Hello? Watson?

You sound like me, OP. I just got rid of my ORIGINAL iPhone (pre-3G) that I had for over five years. I'm now using the Samsung Galaxy Note II (Android) and LOVING it. Also switched from AT&T (the only choice with the original iPhone) to T-Mobile. Much better coverage in some of the areas I travel to the most. I added on the "Mobile Hotspot" option and use it for my tablet and my laptop; works flawlessly. The phone itself might be a bit large for some people, but I've heard good things about the Galaxy S III, which is a more normal phone size.

I won't support Google in any way so no Android ever for me.

Google%20Hater

R2 might I ask what region of the country you're in? (I'm in Chicago - not sure how T Mobile is here but I will check.)
Thanks!

What do you use to search, R3?

I am a Bing user r5.

R4 Southern California. AT&T was usually OK here, but always had problems when I was in Sacramento.

I have a Galaxy S3 on T-Mobile with the unlimited 4G. Rooted and running the CyanogenMod ROM. Love it!

whudat? "CyanogenMod ROM"

R8 Interesting. I have an HP TouchPad and just intalled CyanogenMod 9 (I think) because the WebOS thing is just useless. Loving it!
Is there any benefit to putting CyanogenMod on my Galaxy Note 2? I'm happy with the way it is now.

R2

Anyone have a smartphone they would recommend that has a QWERTY key board (not touch screen), good reception in most areas (particularly hilly areas) and good internet connection.

I like CyanogenMod mainly because it's clean and uncluttered and it lets you ditch all the crapware T-Mobile puts on their phones, but it also has better battery life compared to stock Samsung TouchWiz Android (especially if you use a custom kernel with it).
Here's the link to CM 10.1 for the T-Mobile Note 2.

I had iPhone 3G and then 4 ... thought iOS was getting boring, hated iTunes, and iPhone 5 wasn't anything special.
Looked around and ended up with a Nokia 920. LOVE it. Much better camera than even my old point and shoot, let alone for a phone camera. Amazing screen (and I can even use it with gloves on when it gets cold). So solidly built it doesn't need a case (the iPhone always felt so *fragile*).
I love it.

R13, what carrier do you have?

There's lots of really good options available at the moment.
The new BlackBerry device looks stunning. It's using a new operating system which looks miles ahead of what BB ever had.
Sony XZ looks nice too. It sports some great internal specs and is water and dust resistant. But it's running Android, which means it could be a mixed bag of problems in the near future.
Unfortunately iPhone5 really has fallen behind the times. It's more or less the same thing they released 5 years ago, except you can now do fuck all, 5 times faster.
My vote definitely goes to the Nokia Lumia 920. I like the bold colors, and Windows Phone 8 is super smooth and reliable. Free music downloads, free maps including voice guided navigation, full featured MS Office, all straight out of the box and no subscription required. The camera is a top performer too.

HTC Wildfire S, cause I like HTC's phones, but I want the smallest practical phone I can get. Rooted, unlocked Android I have used around the world. I don't love it, but I like it a lot.
Some nerdy Bolivian gents unlocked it for me (cost me pennies, almost literally). All I need wherever I go is a SIM card and airtime, a sensible system used almost everywhere but the US, where our corporate-determined stupidity rules. But even here I was able to get a cheap SIM card/airtime deal along with everything I need.
Anyone else unlocked and rooted?

Jake McGee

[quote]what carrier do you have?
AT&T. It's an exclusive for now, but it's (a Nokia 920 variant) coming to Verizon in the coming months.

I've never had a smartphone but just yesterday I bought a Samsung Galaxy S3 with AT&T as the carrier. Glad to be catching up and I hope it's worth it!

Techphobe

I'm holding out for the new Blackberry 10 with keyboard but it looks like the release date has been pushed up till June (was supposed to launch in April). The other new BB10 touch screen is delayed till April.

bemp

New Blackberry is DOA. It has some interesting new features but is years behind everything else. The new keyboard ha too steep a learning curve and apps are nonexistent. It's pointless to buy their phone because they're done as a company. This was their Hail Mary and it wasn't nearly enough. They'll either be bought out, absorbed, and eliminated, or go bankrupt. Either way, they won't exist within a year after BB 10 fails, and it will fail.

The Blackberry Z10 is nice but doesn't seem terribly different from an Android or iPhone.

R26, you could not possibly be more wrong. In fact, you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. The Lumia line has amazingly good build quality.

No r27, they're shoddily built and they draw flies!

All I need is my $20 tracfone.

The iPhone 5 is so choice.

i don't care, i'm waiting for the new blackberry q10

When I borrowed my neighbor's Nokia phone once it exuded some kind greasy polymer shit from its plastic that got all over my hand and made my ear develop pinna B.O.

What[italic]ever[/italic]...

AT&T has the worst service/coverage in just about every major city in the US. Verizon is usually number one and Sprint number 2, but in a few towns they trade places. AT &T is most often number 4, after T-Mobile.

[quote]AT&T has the worst service/coverage in just about every major city in the US.
So true. I live in Manhattan and can't get a decent reception on my iPhone when inside my apartment. I have to either use my landline or, if it's not working, go outside to use my cell. And yes, it's fucking annoying, especially for the money I pay AT&T every month.

I have AT&T, and have never had a dropped call. And I have super-fast data speeds on LTE (20Gbps down, 10Gpbs up). And unlike Verizon, you can talk on the phone AND use data, surf, and otherwise use your apps.
People on AT&T bitch about AT&T. People on Verizon bitch about Verizon. Not every story is true everywhere. I know AT&T sucks in NYC, but it's not so bad in other cities, and in fact can be pretty good.

Mine is called a Princess Phone, it's so streamlined, and pretty...in pink. It's a pushbutton dial *and* illuminated, bitches!

Madam%20Bell

But pushbutton means you can't dial it with a pencil, R38.

I use the eraser end...

By summer, there will be a Nokia Lumia phone for every price-range, on every carrier. Worth looking into.

[quote] The iPhone 5 is so choice
How so?

Blackberry is a very healthy company. They're not going anywhere. I've had BBs for years and I can't wait to get a BB10.

The iPhone 5 is the thinnest, lightest phone on the market for its size and features. It's a technical marvel.
It's also rather boring. The last revision of iOS was basically playing "catch up" with features from Android, and even Windows Phone.
Assumptions are the next phone will be a "5s", which will basically be just a faster version of the current phone, with an OS version bump. No clue if they'll ever dump the hideous fake-leather-stitching and faux wood-grain UIs or not.

[quote]Nokia Lumia 920 Wins Smartphone Madness 2013[/bold]
You have spoken. The Nokia Lumia 920 is the champion of LAPTOP’s 4th annual Smartphone Madness.
The Windows Phone 8 powered device was an early favorite in this competition, enjoying the same kind of fan support that propelled the Nokia Lumia 900 to take the prize for the 2012 competition. We also deemed the Lumia 920 an Editors’ Choice winning, 4-star product. We praised the device for its slick and colorful exterior, a fantastic 8.7-MP camera, the 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ screen and integrated wireless charging.
Nokia also added some helpful preloaded apps. For instance, the Nokia City lens is an augmented reality app that lets you find local attractions. A combination of Microsoft Music, Pandora and Gigbeat, Nokia Music is a free service that not only lets you search for, stream and download music, but helps you find where artists are playing locally. And Nokia Drive+ is the company’s car navigation app that can work without a data connection.
To get to the finals, the Windows Phone fans and Nokia army crushed the competition, starting with the Lenovo IdeaPhone K900 for which it took 98 percent of the vote. That was followed by the 93 percent vote win over the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4. The Nokia Lumia 920 also defeated the HTC One with 83 percent of the vote. But it was the BlackBerry Z10 in the finals that gave the Lumia the biggest run for its money. The Crackberry Nation showed up in droves, but were still ultimately defeated by the Lumia 920.
Congratulations and kudos to the Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia 920!